On the Beach

Currently the Cheshire-based company, which listed on the London Stock Exchange in September 2015, caters for around one million passengers per year.

Unlike many online travel agencies, which direct enquiries to a call centre, the vast majority of On the Beach’s bookings (90%) are completed online.

But the OTA still employs around one-third of its 300 staff in a contact centre and customer service department showing “our commitment to take customer service really seriously”.

Another one-third of On the Beach’s employees are employed on the technology and customer experience side of the business. They are tasked with improving the services of its website and other digital platforms.

These include an online self-service tool for customers to manage their bookings, as well as using web-based tools and questionnaires to make sure holidaymakers are getting the type of service they want.

On the Beach’s marketing strategy is based on “finding the right product for the right people” to drive up repeat purchase rates.

One of the main ways the OTA plans to do this is by increasing the level of personalisation available to clients on the website by using data to offer them a handful of personal holiday recommendations based on their previous online searches – similar to how Amazon comes up with its individual recommendations.

On the Beach is also focusing on delivering its services to customers across mobile devices, including its own app, which remembers information such as client preferences for party size and departure airport.

As well as these technology advances, On the Beach has also been building its profile through traditional offline marketing campaigns, most notably through TV advertising in a bid to “build credibility and trust”.

The company launched TV adverts in December 2013 and ran its first national campaign from December 2015 to February 2016.

• onthebeach.co.uk